blog 10

Working Bibliography/ outline

Block, David, John Gray, and Marnie Holborow. Neoliberalism and Applied Linguistics. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Gee, James Paul. Social Linguistics and Literacies: Ideology in Discourses. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.

Goddard, Angela. Doing English Language: A Guide for Students. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2012. Print.

Huckle, John, and Stephen Sterling. Education for Sustainability. London: Earthscan, 1996. Print.

Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. Metaphors We Live by. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1980. Print.

Selfe, Cynthia L. Technology and Literacy in the Twenty-first Century: The Importance of Paying Attention. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois UP, 1999. Print.

 

I.

 

The problem: literacy has executed precise movements within contemporary American culture. What was once an a metaphor for totality has become compartmentalized; literacy is now beholden to the ideology of specific factions of Americans which that literacy serves. This new literacy no longer functions as "myth"; it has broken through the symbol and has become fact. The aim of this paper is to examine whether these new disparate literacies based upon ideological facts can serve the purpose of cultural myths that historical literacy once served as the keeper of the cultural metanarrative.

 

2.

Exposition of the problem:

 

-Specific American goals that become problematic --pedagogically, logically and socially-- within the context of the new models of literacy and maintaining a cultural heritage- time/money/circullum conflict

 

Specifically, the Horatio Algier narrative and the Computerwhiz Kid narrative vs. teaching the classical cannon and a liberal arts humanities education

 

 

3.

conclusions -- working

 

If a literacy is to exist without the market, it must be more than a complex, academic model supporting the larger economic paradigm of America. It must support both our country's people and their cultures, while still providing a means for their existence in a system of capitalism. If this is not accomplished, the transmission of both our collective identity as Americans and individual identities will be limited to the myopic myth of employment based literacy. Therefore, we must adopt a new model. I will expand on the problem and solution later, but a short outline on the tenets of this "Sustainable Literacy" is as follows:
1/ The idea of what is literacy must be fundamentally sound and true, viz. it must serve the totality of Americans.


2/ This new literacy must be both economically and pedagogically feasible for all educational systems in America to implement. If they cannot support the curriculum, then it is unsustainable.

3/ The new literacy must be socially responsible. The purpose of this literacy must be to facilitate communication, not stratification. By creating and maintaining a common base for a literacy that serves all Americans, this system will encourage opportunity without the need for external motivators.